After the funeral, Serena Grant was in a daze.
"Serena, what's wrong? You've been gloomy ever since you went out."
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Mr. and Mrs. Grant looked nervous. "Should we go to the hospital?"
"Dad, Mom, I think I just saw…"
A sudden weight fell on her shoulder. Serena Grant flinched and turned to see Silas Grant standing behind her.
"Silas?" Mr. and Mrs. Grant were also stunned. "Weren't you in Portia? When did you get back?"
"Just got off the plane." Silas Grant didn't explain much, looking down at Serena Grant. "You look so pale. Are you not feeling well?"
Mrs. Grant added, "Your father and I thought so too. You were perfectly fine just a moment ago…"
"Let's go home first, then. I'll have a doctor come over."
Since Silas Grant had spoken, Mr. and Mrs. Grant naturally had no objections. Just as Serena Grant was about to follow, the pressure on her shoulder intensified.
Her older brother's gentle voice came from behind her. "Serena, ride in my car."
Her pleading eyes fell on her parents. She had a premonition—she absolutely could not get into Silas Grant's car.
But her parents didn't see the struggle in her eyes at all. They even thought it showed how close the siblings were and said with a smile, "Yes, yes, of course."
The moment the car door closed, Serena Grant's heart sank.
She had discovered Silas Grant's secret.
Or maybe… it wasn't just Silas's.
Ever since she returned to the Grant family, this older brother of hers had been lukewarm toward her, his attitude neither good nor bad.
He would bring her a gift every time he came back and would ask about her studies. But he usually just touched on the subject without going into detail, like it was just casual pleasantry.
They weren't as close as other brothers and sisters.
At first, she thought it was normal. After all, they didn't know each other well, there was an age gap, and they didn't have much in common, so it was understandable they didn't talk much.
But why was Silas Grant's relationship with Mia Grant so good?
Her mother had clearly said that before she came back, Silas Grant and Mia Grant had only met a few times.
She could feel that Silas Grant's attitude toward Mia Grant, the fake sister, was much better than his attitude toward her.
It wasn't just putting on an act; it was genuine concern from the bottom of his heart.
Except—
If what Kian Keller had just said was true, then Silas Grant's feelings for Mia Grant had never been brotherly affection at all!
Sitting in the passenger seat, Serena Grant felt as if she had been plunged into an icy cavern. Countless images flashed through her mind in an instant.
The day Mia Grant jumped into the sea, Silas Grant had calmly directed the search and rescue team to find her.
To outsiders, he was still the composed eldest son of the Grant family, steady in the face of crisis.
Even when his sister jumped into the sea, his expression didn't show a hint of panic.
After the search and rescue team had scoured the sea for a week, bad news arrived.
At the time, Silas Grant had merely given a calm nod.
But she vaguely remembered going downstairs for a drink of water that night and finding Silas Grant sitting alone in the living room, smoking.
The living room was thick with smoke, ash was scattered all over the floor, and cigarette butts were piled into a small mound. No one knew how long he had been sitting there.
At the time, Silas Grant's company in Portia was also having some trouble, so she assumed he was worried about business matters.
The next day, she secretly told her mother, who laughed and said she must have seen wrong. Silas Grant didn't have a smoking habit; at most, he'd have a cigar when discussing business, but that was just for work-related socializing.
It turned out she hadn't seen wrong.
'Thinking back now… he was doing it for Mia Grant.'
'He was nowhere near as calm as he appeared on the surface. Because of Mia Grant's death, he couldn't sleep at night. He found the family's chauffeur, borrowed a pack of cigarettes, and tried to numb himself with nicotine.'
'The family chauffeur was getting on in years and usually smoked cheap, low-quality cigarettes.'
'He must have been at his wit's end with grief back then. Otherwise, given his status, how could he possibly smoke something like that?'
"What did you see just now?"
The car started and drove a short distance before Silas Grant asked the question. His tone was casual, as if he were chatting with her about the weather.
"I saw…" Serena Grant clutched her seatbelt. "I think I saw Mi…"
He kindly finished her sentence for her. "Mia Grant?"
Serena Grant fell silent.
"Did you see wrong?" he asked with a light chuckle. "Wasn't today her funeral?"
"No, I really…"
"You saw wrong."
This time, the man's tone turned cold.
The hard edge in his voice made Serena Grant nervous.
She looked over and saw that the smile was completely gone from Silas Grant's face. Though the focus of his dark eyes behind his glasses was on the road ahead, his peripheral gaze was filled with a chilling coldness that beat down on her silently.
Serena Grant's scalp tingled with fear.
'She didn't think Silas Grant would care much about their blood ties.'
'Or maybe he cared just a little. Otherwise, this wouldn't have just been a verbal warning.'
"I… I saw wrong," Serena Grant said, taking the out he had given her.
Silas Grant's expression softened slightly. "Mm. Are you feeling unwell?"
"N-no. I'll be fine after I get some sleep."
After getting out of the car, Serena Grant hastily greeted Mr. and Mrs. Grant and ran upstairs.
In the car, Silas Grant lowered the window a little, took a cigarette from the armrest compartment, and turned his head to light it.
His phone screen lit up with messages from the people he had sent out.
Fifteen minutes ago: "Mr. Grant, Mr. Keller has returned to the east side of the city."
Ten minutes ago: "Miss Grant is still in the car. She did not get out at any point."
Two minutes ago: "Miss Grant fell asleep. Mr. Keller carried her inside."
The phone was thrown onto the dashboard with a THUD.
The man pushed open the door and got out.
In the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Grant were worrying about Serena Grant when they heard footsteps and looked toward the door.
"Silas, what on earth is wrong with Serena? She said she was fine, then ran upstairs and locked her door from the inside!"
Silas Grant sat down on the sofa, took off his glasses, and began to wipe them. "She's probably just heartbroken."
"Heartbroken?"
"I heard Kian Keller brought a girl with him today?"
He left it at that.
"Yes. He said she was his… fiancée? But he didn't introduce her to us."
After a pause, Mr. Grant understood instantly. "Silas, are you saying that Serena likes Ethan? But Ethan already has a fiancée."
Mrs. Grant said reproachfully, "She's not his fiancée in any official capacity. What kind of fiancée is that?"
"I'll ask Ethan's mother out for afternoon tea later!"
—
Mia Grant was woken by hunger. When she got up, it was already completely dark outside.
She strolled to the door and tried to open it.
She had expected it to be locked, but who knew? She pushed the handle, and the door actually opened?!
'This is a great chance to escape… Too bad it's not daytime.'
'This place is remote. Even if I managed to get out, I wouldn't be able to hail a cab.'
'Besides, I'm really, really hungry right now. I don't have the energy for any trouble.'
'I can let anyone suffer, but not myself.'
Mia Grant went downstairs to forage for food and happened to overhear a conversation in the living room.
One of the speakers was Kian Keller.
"Did he really get physical with you guys?"
"Yeah, Mr. Keller. Right after you left, Mr. Grant grabbed a stick and came at us."
"Mr. Grant also said it's a good thing you left quickly, or else those three whacks… would have landed on you…"
The System shrieked in confusion: [What are they doing?]
Mia Grant stroked her chin and summarized, "They're probably acting out a play—"
"'A Brotherhood, by Three Swings Broken; A Confession, Where a Brother's Name is Spoken'?"